HCM CITY (VNS) — The country's first international rubber and tyre industry exhibition, Rubber and Tyre Vietnam 2013, opened on Thursday at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in District 7.

Conferences and seminars will be held during the three-day exhibition to discuss the future development of the local natural rubber industry.

Co-organised by the Minh Vi Exhibition and Advertisement Services Co Ltd and the China National Chemical Information Centre, the event will provide a forum for domestic and foreign companies to compare notes and explore business opportunities.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Bui Thi Thanh An, deputy director of the Viet Nam Trade Promotion Agency in HCM City, said that rubber was among the country's key export items.

Since 2006, the industry had recorded annual export revenue of more than US$1 billion.

Viet Nam is currently the world's fifth-largest producer and third-largest exporter of natural rubber, she said.

An said the Government had mapped out a plan to develop the rubber-based manufacturing industry to add more value to Vietnamese rubber products. — VNS